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Gremlins (film)
Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy film directed by Joe Dante, released by Warner Bros. The film is about a young man who receives a strange creature called a mogwai as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. This story was continued with a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, released in 1990. Unlike the lighter sequel, the original Gremlins opts for more black comedy, which is balanced against a Christmas-time setting. Both films were the center of large merchandising campaigns. Plot Searching for an unusual Christmas present for his teenage son, struggling inventor Randall Peltzer discovers a small, furry creature called a Mogwai in a Chinatown antique store. The owner refuses to sell the Mogwai, saying that owning one is a great responsibility. However, as Randall is leaving the store, the owner's grandson sells Randall the creature, explaining that his family needs the money. There are three specific instructions for looking after Mogwai: never expose it to bright light (especially sunlight, which will kill it); never get it wet; and, most importantly: no matter how much it cries or begs, never feed it after midnight. Randall takes the Mogwai to his family in the town of Kingston Falls; being an inventor, he names it "Gizmo". Randall gives Gizmo to his son Billy and tells him the three rules he must obey. A glass of water is accidentally spilled on Gizmo, causing him to convulse and produce five new Mogwai from his own body. Their temperament is very different from Gizmo's; they torment the family's pet dog, Barney. One of the new Mogwai, dubbed Stripe for his white quiff of hair, acts as their leader and is very hostile to Gizmo. Wanting to learn more, Billy takes Gizmo to his science teacher, Mr. Hanson. When Billy drops water on Gizmo from a pipette, he produces a sixth new Mogwai. Leaving with Mr. Hanson this new Mogwai, on which he will conduct tests, Billy returns home. He meets up on the way with his friend Kate Beringer, who works at a tavern; she agrees to a date. When Billy tries to study in his bedroom, the five new Mogwai are very excitable. They trick Billy into feeding them after midnight by biting through the power cord of his alarm clock, causing him to believe it's earlier than it actually is. In the morning, Billy discovers that the creatures have cocooned. Gizmo, having virtuously refused to eat, remains unchanged. In the meantime, the sixth new Mogwai undergoes tests at the hands of Mr. Hanson, who clocks off after two o'clock in the morning. When Mr. Hanson finishes work, the Mogwai steals his unfinished sandwich and cocoons itself. Later, it hatches and breaks out of its cage, hiding in the dark corners of the room. Hanson tries to reason with it and bribe it with a candy bar, but the creature eats it and his hand. Billy arrives and finds the Mogwai has turned into a reptilian monster. Elsewhere, the other Mogwai have hatched into "gremlins", mischievous reptilian monsters. They attack Billy's mother, who is able to escape with Billy's help, and the gremlins are killed. Stripe escapes and leaps into a swimming pool, creating hundreds of new gremlins who go on a rampage. Billy rescues Kate when the gremlins overrun the tavern she works at. Billy, Kate, and Gizmo discover the gremlins are enjoying Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the local theater. They set off an explosion that kills the gremlins and destroys the theater, but their celebrations are cut short when Kate spots Stripe in the window of a nearby Montgomery Ward store. Billy follows and battles Stripe, who leaps into a water fountain intending to multiply again. Before he can multiply, Gizmo opens a set of window blinds, causing sunlight to pour into the store, killing Stripe. As the Peltzers recover from the rampage, the antique store owner arrives to claim Gizmo, saying that the Western world is not yet ready for the responsibilities that come with caring for a Mogwai, but that Billy may someday be ready to care for Gizmo properly; Gizmo likewise believes so, having become attached to Billy. Category:Films Category:Warner Bros. Category:Monster movies Category:Films and other media Category:1980s Category:Gremlins Films Category:Live-Action films